The spare you make now is the cheap one
Almost everyone thinks about a spare key after the only one is gone — the worst moment to need one. The car cannot move, the new key has to be built from the car itself, and everything is urgent. A spare made while the original still works is the simpler job, and it turns losing a key from a crisis into a shrug.
It is also the key you lend out, the key your partner carries, and the key that waits in a drawer for the day the main one goes missing. One key, one car, no backup — that is the situation to fix before it bites.
Made from the original — the easy route
A spare is more than a copy of the blade. On most modern cars it is two jobs: the blade is cut for your locks, and the key is coded — transponder, remote or keyless — so the car accepts it. We do both at your car and try the spare in the locks and the ignition before we go, so you know it works.
What the spare looks like depends on the car. Some take a plain blade, most take a remote fob, and newer cars take a smart or keyless fob. Tell us the make, model and year on the call and we will say what your spare involves — and which ownership papers to have ready.
No original? A spare is still possible
Without an original to copy from, the key is cut from the car’s locks and coded from the car itself — the same work as replacing a lost key. It takes longer than copying an existing key, because every detail has to be read from the car. If that is your situation, ring us anyway: it is a normal job, and it is still done at your car.
Which makes do we cut spares for?
A spare can be made for most makes in Birmingham. The ones that come up most often in our calls are Ford, Audi, BMW and Volkswagen. If yours is not on that list, ring with the make, model and year and we will say plainly whether we can help.
What does a spare cost?
It turns on the car — make, model, and the kind of key it takes. A plain blade and a smart keyless fob are not the same job, so no price is listed here: any number without those details would be guesswork. Ring or message 07367 634032 for a fixed quote for your car, and have a look at our replacement key cost guide to see what the price is made of — including why a spare usually costs less than a key made after losing the only one.